" How long are you going to keep staring at the ceiling? And how long are you going to keep ignoring me?"
The voice behind him pulled him out of his trance. Nikolai was still absorbing the colors painted high on the hall ceiling, trying to memorize every nuance, every match with the riddles in the book.
He turned around.
" Good afternoon, Irina."
She was there, as always, standing straight and cold, but without arrogance. At her side, Zoya — inseparable — this time without the entourage of friends who usually followed her.
" Good afternoon, Zoya."
Zoya only nodded, saying nothing more.
" Well… Iri, I'm going to the line. See you in a bit."
And she left, leaving Nikolai alone with Irina. He understood the gesture. It wasn't the time to be seen next to someone considered weak.
Irina stayed.
" You could've at least said 'good morning' or stayed with us. After all, we made the whole journey together."
It was true that Nikolai hadn't been far from his class group.
Unlike them, who stuck together, he chose to keep his distance.
To Nikolai, even though they pretended to be united — as if that could make any difference — it was obvious that all that false modesty would end the moment the ritual was over and true expressions were revealed.
To Nikolai, all of it was nothing more than cold and cruel cynicism.
He preferred to be honest with himself.
That's why he chose to walk with the blue group. They were arrogant, cruel, and misogynistic — but at least they didn't hide who they were.
Even next to Viktor and Fedor, Nikolai didn't seek comfort.
He didn't force closeness, letting silence naturally settle between them. And the two seemed to accept it.
In the end, maybe it was better this way. After all, separation would be inevitable — and less painful if the distancing had already begun.
Nikolai knew he was alone. As he had always been.
And he preferred it that way.
A strong mind is born from solid principles.
He was more concerned with what lay ahead than with what others thought of him.
He wasn't there to make friends, but to survive everything that could kill him.
After all, for the people of the North, it wasn't enough to have a bear — it had to be useful too.
Otherwise, no matter how strong the friendship was: it wouldn't survive the first strike in the caves.
No one wants to carry dead weight. No matter how likeable it might be.
He understood that his heart had grown too hard — especially since not everyone had been cruel to him — but, at the same time, he simply didn't have enough will to preserve the few who still insisted on approaching him. In the end, the most he could do was what he knew how to do well.
" I'm sorry. Sometimes I just prefer to be alone so I can think better."
Nikolai really did manage to stay alone. Fedor and Viktor were veterans, and so didn't need to be there like he did. The newcomers, on the other hand, desperately tried to make friends — and for most, the reason was obvious. The problem was, Irina knew: Nikolai wasn't the kind of person who would openly trust someone.
The problem was that it was precisely those small formalities — of trust and closeness — that would help him get into a group.
" You need to learn to interact and lie better."
Irina seemed irritated, but with the sigh of someone giving up, she began to turn to leave. Then Nikolai called out:
" So she's in your group."
Irina raised an eyebrow. Deep down, she was upset, but at the same time, she could understand the path the boy in front of her had chosen. Her father liked to turn lessons into fables, so once, he told her that some people are like animals wounded by humans: no matter how hard you try to be good and different from what that being had experienced, they will never truly accept your approach — no matter how good your intentions.
It was a simple law that Irina had never understood… until she met Nikolai.
" Actually, I'm the one who joined her group." — she replied honestly. — "And you? Did you get into any group?"
There was a brief pause. Irina's voice was calm, almost indifferent, but beneath it was a trace that could have been concern.
" With one leg, and a bear whose potential no one knows, it's hard." — said Nikolai bluntly. — "But I'm going to take the test. After that, I'll join up with whoever else is left without a team."
" I see." — she murmured. — " Either way, I can talk to Zoya. It's always good to have more people to help."
Nikolai gave a slight smile.
" No need to worry. With your Misha and Zoya's Buyan growing like that, I'd probably just slow you down."
Irina looked down at her bear. Misha, her young white bear, already reached almost up to her elbow. The growth was so fast that even the veterans whispered in the hallways.
" Either way, the invitation still stands." — said Irina, looking at him again with the conviction of someone who wouldn't give up. — " Ashen is growing every day too. I'm sure everything will go well in today's test."
She walked away, still glancing back a few times, until she finally reached Zoya, who had saved her a spot further ahead in the line. Together, they lined up with three other girls.
" One brown, one white, and three blues." — Nikolai murmured to himself, analyzing. — "Probably the strongest group among the new ones."
On one hand, he was happy to see familiar faces standing out.
On the other, the weight in his chest grew.
The book Dmitry had given him left no room for doubt: a well-formed group was the difference between surviving — or dying miserably.
And he, so far, would most likely end up among those who, like him, didn't manage to form a group — which generally meant only two things: the weakest or the most problematic.
Nikolai shook his head, pushing away the dark thoughts that consumed him. He took a deep breath and clenched his fist.
" I can't let it shake me, right, Ashen?" — he said in a low but firm voice. — "No matter what happens, we're going to get through this together."
The bear raised his snout, his single good eye gleaming intensely. There was something in that gaze that made Nikolai shiver: it wasn't just blind loyalty, but a wild conviction.
Ashen feared nothing.
And in that instant, Nikolai realized that he couldn't afford to fear either.
The line moved slowly. One by one, students and their beasts were led to the glass sphere, the dancing light inside reacting according to the bond between tamer and creature.
The spectacle was public. Everyone watched. Everyone judged.
There was no privacy in failure.
The blue bears, as always, upheld their reputation: all displayed above-average colors — stable, cold. Some even reached the most prominent tones on the right side of the rainbow spectrum, from deep moss green to nearly indigo, drawing murmurs of approval.
Meanwhile, the disqualified — overwhelmingly bearers of black bears — were marked in another way: by heavy silence, followed by muffled laughter. Some veterans took advantage of the humiliation to try to recruit the desperate, offering partnership in exchange for cheap subservience. After all, there were five days in that place, and the only way to eat was by fighting — or serving the fighters.
It was a cruel spectacle: rise or fall in front of everyone.
Nikolai leaned closer to Ashen, who was growling low, restless.
He didn't need words to understand. The bear was tense, almost as if he knew his fate was about to be decided.
" Don't worry, Ashen… everything's going to be fine." — whispered Nikolai, trying to convey a confidence he didn't really feel.
The problem was clear: being a gray bear, unlike the standard ones, there was no benchmark. No one knew what to expect. Not even Ashen.
Then it happened.
A brilliant light exploded from the sphere at the center of the hall.
It wasn't a common color. It wasn't an average tone. It was a deep indigo, dark, almost black.
The reactions were immediate.
" My God… such a strong Indigo… must be from one of the old houses!" — shouted one of the three women watching the event from the blacksmiths' tent, where they were using their free time to witness the occasion.
They weren't the only ones. Many people on the floor also seemed entertained by the scene. After all, it was something that happened only once a year — and Nikolai could tell that even bets were being placed.
" I thought I'd die without seeing another one that color." — responded a veteran, incredulous.
" A powerful descendant… it has to be!" — whispered another.
The chorus of praise grew like a wave, filling the space. Everyone stretched to see the chosen one.
Nikolai rose as well, his heart heavy.
And then he saw the face.
" Oleg."
There he was.
Oleg smiled as if he had conquered the world, chest puffed out, eyes sparkling with arrogance. His friends surrounded him, shamelessly fawning.
The boy raised his arms like a king before his court.
" Don't worry!" — he said loudly, theatrically. — "Oleg is here to become the savior of the North. Oleg promises to use the power granted to become as strong as a Muromets!"
His words echoed through the hall.
The silence that followed wasn't admiration, but distaste. It's one thing to be strong. It's another to be arrogant to the point of being unbearable.
Nikolai felt anger rising in his chest. How could someone so foolish receive something so rare?
But deep down, he knew it was always a possibility. Oleg might be an idiot… but fate didn't always choose fairly.
" Oleg promises to conquer this place with strength!" — Oleg's voice rang out, triumphant. — "And I'll do it for you, Irina!"
The room trembled at the absurdity of the statement.
Even his own friends exchanged awkward glances, as if his overconfidence had crossed an invisible line.
Irina, however, didn't even dignify him with a response.
With her posture upright and gaze cold, she simply walked past him and stepped up to the sphere.
When her hand touched the glass, the internal mist began to shift. First a greenish tone, then more intense… until the entire sphere pulsed with a deep Violet, so dark it seemed to drink in the surrounding light.
A collective murmur spread through the hall.
" Violet?! No… look at that shade. Is this even possible?!?!"
" She must be the highest-potential person to ever step foot here!"
" Damn, and on top of that, look how beautiful she is…"
" Shit, I'm in love."
" Look at the size of her bear, and it's still a cub!"
" Who is this girl?"
The praises multiplied like fire through dry grass.
And in a matter of seconds, Oleg's shine was gone.
His arrogance, once so loud, was eclipsed by Irina's silent strength.
She didn't smile, didn't thank anyone, didn't boast. She simply stepped aside to make room for the next in line — her humility only increased the admiration now surrounding her.
Nikolai could barely hold back a proud smile, but it was Zoya who stepped forward next.
The sphere reacted immediately, turning a vibrant Indigo, pulsing like something alive.
More murmurs, more excitement:
" Strong Indigo! I think it's almost as rare as that buffoon's!"
" These two are going to change everything around here…"
" If they team up, who could stop them?"
" I'd gladly die just to fight beside them… or sleep in the same bed."
The comments, now bolder, spread through the place without shame.
Nikolai watched in silence.
He had already known Irina was promising.
But not even he had realized the depth of the hidden potential she carried.
And now, with Zoya by her side, the future seemed even more unpredictable.
The line continued to move forward, but the intensity had waned.
After Zoya's last Indigo, there were hardly any scouts paying attention. For the Blacks, interest was rare: they were seen as defective, imperfect bears. Even so, some veterans remained, silent, with keen eyes.
Nikolai noticed.
Among them, he recognized a tamer whose bear, once Black, now bore tufts of white from old age.
The Blacks went by.
The revealed colors were almost always the same — faded shades from the right side of the spectrum: weak reds, dark oranges, nothing beyond mediocrity. The silence only grew heavier, more merciless.
Until finally, it was his turn.
Nikolai's hands were sweating.
" Stay calm, boy." — said the evaluator, a woman with a stern face — neither kind nor cruel. — "Place your hand on the crystal and think of your bond with your bear."
" Accept what is offered by the Ancestor — nothing more, nothing less."
" Be strong. And do not waver. Ever."
" Good luck."
Her tone didn't change. It was the same for everyone. For those women, the evaluation was just a job. Well paid, low risk, as pragmatic as forging iron.
Nikolai took a deep breath and stepped forward.
His hand touched the crystal.
In that instant, an energy surged through his entire body. He felt his iron leg tremble as if it were alive. His mind was pulled into a distant place — cold and empty.
Nothing seemed to exist in any direction — but right in front of him stood Ashen.
The young bear looked directly into his eyes.
There was no scar. His black eyes sparkled with joy, vibrant like never before. He reached out a paw and grasped Nikolai's hand, radiating confidence.
Then the world changed.
A cave opened around him.
Gigantic stalactites hung from an invisible ceiling. The space seemed to stretch endlessly upward and outward. Ahead, only infinite darkness.
And then, the voice.
" So I was betrayed."
The words echoed like thunder, reverberating through every rock, every shadow. It was a coarse voice, deep, laden with pain and resentment.
Nikolai didn't know if it was a question or a statement. His chest tightened.
" Who's there?" — he whispered, anxious, his voice faltering.
Before fear could consume him, he felt Ashen's touch.
The young bear kept holding his hand, as if pulling him back to reality.
And before them, the darkness tore open.
From the shadows emerged a colossal bear, so massive that its height rivaled the gates of Medved. Its fur was a dark gray, and from its claws and fangs fire poured forth. Not ordinary fire — fire that roared against the cold, defying the North itself.
The titan raised its head, the flames reflecting in its ancient eyes.
" My son… you didn't die."
" I'm glad."
The voice, once harsh, now carried emotion.
Nikolai stood still.
Everything in his body screamed that this was impossible. Bears of that size shouldn't even exist — but what surprised him most wasn't the colossal dimension of the creature, it was the almost intimate control of fire in its hands.
Fire was the opposite of the North.
Fire was something only the Empire idolized — and knew well.
And yet, there it was.
The impossible. The unimaginable.
Fire burning in the hands of a charcoal-gray bear.